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EPA defines durable goods as products with a lifetime of three years or more, although there are some exceptions. In this EPA analysis, the durable goods category includes large and small appliances, furniture and furnishings, carpets and rugs, rubber tires, lead-acid automotive batteries, consumer electronics, and other miscellaneous durable goods such as luggage, sporting goods and household goods.

EPA measures the generation, recycling, composting, combustion with energy recovery and landfilling of durable goods. This web page is a brief summary of data that is specific to durable goods. For more comprehensive information on this category of municipal solid waste (MSW), see the 2015 Data Tables on the Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: Facts and Figures Report page.

Overview of Durable Goods

Managers of MSW facilities often call durable goods oversized and bulky. Facilities handle these goods in a somewhat different manner than other components of MSW. These goods are often picked up separately and typically they are not mixed with other MSW at the facility. A wide variety of materials make up durable goods. In 2015, in order of decreasing tonnage, the most common materials in durable goods of MSW included: ferrous metals, plastics, rubber and leather, wood, textiles, glass, other nonferrous metals (e.g., lead, copper) and aluminum.

As of 2015, the generation of durable goods in MSW was 54.2 million tons (20.6 percent of total MSW generation). That year, 10.3 million tons of durable goods were recycled (18.9 percent recycling rate). Additionally, the combustion of durable goods was 8.6 million tons (25.6 percent of total combustion with recovery), and landfills received 35.3 million tons (25.6 percent of total landfilling) in 2015.

The data in the table below are from 1960 to 2015, relating to the total number of tons of all durable goods generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled.

1960-2015 Data on All Durable Goods in MSW by Weight (in thousands of U.S. tons)

Major Appliances

Major appliances or white goods, in MSW include items such as refrigerators, washing machines and water heaters. Data on unit production of appliances are from Appliance Manufacturer Market Profile, Appliance Manufacturer Shipments Forecasts, and Appliance Statistical Review.

In 2015, generation was 4.9 million tons, or 1.8 percent of total MSW generation. While the number of units of appliances is higher than previous years, the average weight per unit is lower. Ferrous metals (steel and iron) are the predominant materials in major appliances, but different metals, plastics, glass and other materials are also present.

Data on the recovery of ferrous metals from major appliances are from a survey conducted by the Steel Recycling Institute. This survey estimates the recovery of ferrous metals from shredded appliances to be three million tons in 2015, leaving 1.9 million tons of appliances to be landfilled. Major appliances are not accepted at combustion facilities with energy recovery.

Composting and combustion for energy recovery data for major appliances is negligible and was not included.

The data in the table below are from 1960 to 2015, relating to the total number of tons of major appliances generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled.

1960-2015 Data on Major Appliances in MSW by Weight (in thousands of U.S. tons)

Small Appliances

This category includes items such as toasters, hair dryers and electric coffee pots. Information on shipments of small appliances is from Department of Commerce data, Annual Appliance Industry Forecasts, and Appliance Statistical Review. Information on weights and the material composition of discarded small appliances comes from manufacturer specifications and interviews. In 2015, EPA estimated that the generation of small appliances was about 1.96 million tons. After magnetic separation, a small amount of ferrous metals in small appliances were recycled.

EPA estimated that of the 1.96 million tons of small appliance waste generated, only about 6 percent was recycled. A small proportion of small appliances were combusted for energy recovery (19 percent), while the majority (75 percent) were landfilled.

The data in the table below are from 1960 to 2015, relating to the total number of tons of small appliances generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled.

1960-2015 Data on Small Appliances in MSW by Weight (in thousands of U.S. tons)

Furniture and furnishing includes items such as sofas, tables, chairs and mattresses. EPA used data on sales of furniture and furnishing from the Department of Commerce for this analysis.

To measure the generation of furniture and furnishings, EPA counted products at the end-of-life (after primary use and reuse by secondary owners). Generation of furniture and furnishings in MSW was 12.1 million tons in 2015 (4.6 percent of total MSW), up from 2.2 million tons in 1960. Wood was the largest material category in furniture, and ferrous metals was the second largest category. Plastics, glass and other materials were also found in furniture. Although recovery of wood, textiles and metals may be occurring, no measurable data source was accessible.

A significant proportion (19.5 percent) of furniture and furnishings was combusted for energy recovery in 2015, but the majority of this product sector was landfilled (80.4 percent).

The data in the table below are from 1960 to 2015, relating to the total number of tons of furniture and furnishings generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled.

1960-2015 Data on Furniture and Furnishings in MSW by Weight (in thousands of U.S. tons)

EPA estimated that the generation of carpets and rugs in MSW was 3.6 million tons in 2015, representing 1.4 percent of total generation based on data from past carpet sales from the Department of Commerce's Current Industrial Report Carpet and Rug Series.

Based on industry data, EPA estimated that the recycling of carpet fiber, backing, and padding was 190,000 tons in 2015, which was 5.2 percent of carpet generation. A slightly larger proportion (18.5 percent) was combusted for energy recovery, while the majority of rugs and carpets were landfilled (76.3 percent).

The data in the table below are from 1960 to 2015, relating to the total number of tons of carpets and rugs generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled.

1960-2015 Data on Carpets and Rugs in MSW by Weight (in thousands of U.S. tons)

Vehicle Tires

EPA estimated the generation of rubber tires was 5.8 million tons in 2015, approximately 2.2 percent of total MSW. EPA only included tires from passenger cars, trucks and motorcycles in these figures. Tires used in large equipment, aviation or industrial applications were not included.

The Agency also estimated the tire recycling rate was 40.2 percent based on data on the recovery of tires from the Rubber Manufacturing Association. Tires recovered for fuel were not included in this analysis. However, tires going to combustion facilities as fuel were included in the combustion estimates.

In 2015, the amount of tires combusted with energy recovery was 2.8 million tons (47.6 percent of tire generation). That same year, landfills received about 0.7 million tons of tires (12.2 percent of tire generation).

The data in the table below are from 1960 to 2015, relating to the total number of tons of vehicle tires generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled.

1960-2015 Data on Vehicle Tires in MSW by Weight (in thousands of U.S. tons)

The Agency estimated that in 2015, the recycling rate for the lead in these batteries, as well as the polypropylene battery casings, was 99 percent. (Recyclers remove some electrolytes and other materials in batteries from the municipal solid waste stream, along with recovered lead and polypropylene. EPA counts these materials as “recovered,” along with the recyclable materials.) Only about 1 percent of lead acid batteries were landfilled. Lead acid batteries are not accepted at combustion facilities.

The data in the table below are from 1960 to 2015, relating to the total number of tons of lead acid batteries generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled.

1960-2015 Data on Lead Acid Batteries in MSW by Weight (in thousands of U.S. tons)

Management Pathway

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2005

2010

2014

2015

Generation

-

820

1,490

1,510

2,280

2,750

3,020

3,230

3,130

Recycled

-

620

1,040

1,470

2,130

2,640

2,980

3,200

3,100

Composted

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Combustion with Energy Recovery

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Landfilled

-

200

450

40

150

110

40

30

30

Sources: Battery Council International, Census Bureau, and the National Automobile Dealers Association

The total miscellaneous durable goods category, as a whole, includes ferrous metals as well as plastics, glass, rubber, wood, and other metals. Pre-combustion and post-combustion magnetic separation has a positive impact on this category, bringing total recovery from all recycling pathways to about 1.5 million tons. An estimated 2.4 million tons were combusted with energy recovery (10.7 percent of generation) and 18.8 million tons of total miscellaneous durable goods were landfilled in 2015 (82.8 percent of total miscellaneous durable goods generation).

The data in the table below are from 1960 to 2015, relating to the total number of tons of total miscellaneous durable goods generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled.

1960-2015 Data on Total Miscellaneous Durables Waste Management in MSW by Weight (in thousands of U.S. tons)

EPA estimated that the generation of consumer electronics goods in 2015 was 3.09 million tons, representing less than 2 percent of all MSW generation. In 2015, the rate of selected consumer electronics recycling was 39.8 percent.

EPA does not currently have information on the amount of selected consumer electronics that facilities combusted for energy recovery or sent to landfills in 2015. These products are included in Total Miscellaneous Durables.

The data in the table below are from 1960 to 2015, relating to the total number of tons of electronics generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled.

1960-2015 Data on Selected Consumer Electronics in MSW by Weight (in thousands of U.S. tons)

Other Miscellaneous Durable Goods

These include items such as luggage and sporting equipment.

The data in the table below are from 1960 to 2015, relating to the total number of tons of other miscellaneous durable goods generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled.

1960-2015 Data on Other Miscellaneous Durable Goods in MSW by Weight (in thousands of U.S. tons)